Fertilizer-distributer.



v hopper l maybe made in any usual or welloutlet-openings 5 in said hoor-plates 4, the

STATES.

WILLIAM FETZER, OF

`PAIENT OFFICE.

MIDDLETO WN, OHIO.

EAERTIclzE-R-DISTRIBUTER.

SPECIFICATION forming partof LettersPatent No. 721,554, dated February 24, 1903. Application inea rJuly 14, `1902. seiiim. 115.509. (Nbiiodeif .To all whom traag conJern/,rl

Be it knownthat I, WILLIAM FETZER, aj citizen of the United States,residing at Middletown, in the county of Butler and State of` Ohio, havey invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fertilizer-Distributers; andy I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,'an'd exactdescription of the invention, i suchl as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in fertilizer distributers or drills, and more particularly to that class of fertilizer-distributors in which a series of feed-disks are employed in a hopper for forcing the fertilizer in predetermined quantities to the discharge-outlets leading to the drill-tubes.

The object of the presentinvention is to so construct feed disks or Wheels withinthe hopper that they may keep themselves more perfectly clear of material which ymight work beneath the edges of said, disksv and to so: mount and operate the disks that the friction will be reduced to a minimum. .l

With these and other hobjects in ieW the present invention consists A,in certain novel constructions, combinations, and arrangev ments of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed. .I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion 'of a feed-hopper of a fertilizer-distributer, showing feed disks or Wheels in position therein. Fig. V2,is a vertical section through a portion of 4said feeding device, taken on a line passing through the center of one of the feed disks or wheels and showing the actuating-gearing ,for operating the said feed-disk. Fig. 2zL is a detailsectional view taken on the line 2a 2a of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan View of one of the feed disks or wheels.

4Referring now to the illustration, the feedknown manner and is provided at intervals along its iioor with lfeed wheels or disks 2, which have radially-projecting teeth 3, traveling overgthefloor-,plate 4 and .also overL the outlet-openings leading to the upper ends of conducting-tubes 6, as seen in Fig. 2. As will also be seen in said Fig. 2, the feeddisks or wheels 2 are mounted so that theirlower edges ,as they pass beneathit.

l rest closely upon the upper face of the floorplates 4, the projecting arms or teeth 3 also resting closelyupon the said'oor. The cen- `tralportion of the feed disks or wheels 2 is somewhat higher than the depth of the teeth or arms 3 and is hollow underneath. The' periphery of each feed disk or Wheel 2, together with the arms or teeth 3, travels beneath a shed or housing 7, which is arranged .over each one of the openings 5 in thehopper.

thefeed-Wheels 2, yet I preferably provide a separate shed or housing 7 for each feed-disk 2, each of said sheds abutting at its ends against the ends of lthe next adjoining sheds 7, as shown in Fig. 1. Beneath the shed and arranged just outside the opening or outletaperture 5 is a curved plate or partition 10 for directing the fertilizer, which is brought beneath the shed bythe arms or teeth 3 of the wheels 2, so that it will fall into the outletaperture 5. There is also beneath each of these shedsa pivoted knocker 1,1, which has one end extending loosely over the aperture 5, andits other end is formed with a curved half-bearing 12 upon its under side, engaging the rounded upper edge of a wall or standard 13, rising from the ioor-plate 4. The upper edge of the half-bearing 12 is made somewhat prominent, being formed with a ridge 14, which lengages the under side of the shed 7. The shed is thus enabled to hold the halfbearing in position upon the standard 13 and yet'permit it to have a pivotal movement thereon. The under side of the knocker 11 is rounded somewhat, so thatthe teeth or arms 3 of the feed-Wheel can raise the said knocker j v t The knocker will drop from the teeth toward the apertureagain, thus tending to )prevent the fertilizer from clogging at the mouth of the outlet and insuring its dropping through the same into the conducting-tube beneath.

The shape and mounting of the feed-wheels forms an important feature of the present invention. Besides having their peripheral edges and arms or teeth litting snugly upon the upper surface of the floor 4 each of the said disks or wheels is formed with inwardlyextending ribs upon their under surface, as 15. These ribs extend somewhat tangentially with respect to the inner downwardly-proj ecting hub 1G of the said wheel, but preferably do not touch the same, leaving a slight space between the inner ends of the said ribs and the said hub. The lower surfaces of these ribs are flush'with the peripheral edges of the said wheel, so that the said ribs also travel 'smoothly and closely over the upper surface of the floor-plate 4. These tangentially-ar ranged ribs are so positioned that should any material from the hopper work beneath the edges of the feed-wheel it will be collected by the said ribs and worked gradually toward the periphery of the wheel, so as to be brought over the outlet-openings 5 and permitted t0 drop therein. In this manner the feed-wheels are enabled to keep themselves entirely clear of all clogging and free to work easily over the door-plate 4.

The hub 16 of each of the wheels 2 is arranged to fit within the upwardly-projecting flange 17,arranged around the opening formed in the floor-plate 4. This hub 16 is preferably hollow and receives the reduced upper` end of an upwardly-extending hub 18, carried by an actuating beveled gear-wheel 19, arranged upon the underside of the Hoor-plate 4. The hub 16 is provided with notches 20, which engage lugs 21 upon the upper end of the hub 1S, so that when said hub 18 is rotated with the wheels 19 the hub 16 will be turned and the feed-wheel 2 carried around thereby. A bolt 22 is passed through the hub 18 and a central aperture in the wheel 2 for securing the parts snugly in position. The gear-wheel 19 and the feed-wheel 2 are spaced apart, however, by means of the hubs 1S and 1G, so that there will be no binding action of the feed-wheel 2 against the flange 17.

The beveled gear-wheel 19 meshes with an actuating-pinion 23. The gear-wheel 23 is formed with a hub 24, which fits in a bearing 25, formed in a supporting-hanger26, depending from the under surface of the floor 4. The actuating-gear 23 is held in position in its bearing 25 by the gear-wheel 19. Each of the gear-wheels 23 is formed with a squared central opening fitting upon a squared shaft 27. The squared shaft 27 extends along underneath the fertilizer-hopper 1 and through the gear wheels or pinions 23 beneath each of the feed-wheels 2, so that by actuating or rotating the said squared shaft 27 all of the gears 23 will be rotated for driving their respective feed-wheels 2.

In using a fertilizer-distributer of this character, in which a number of feed-wheels are employed in the bottom of a hopper, all traveling in the same direction, I have found that the tendency is to move the mass of the fertilizer in the hopper gradually toward one end thereof even to the extent of overflowing the hopper at that end. To ob viate this diiiiculty, I provide my hopper with a series of comparatively low partitions 62, which are provided with securing-lugs, as 63, at one end of which they may be attached to the side of the fertilizer-hopper 1. The said partitions extend transversely across the hopper, between adjacent feed-wheels, to the housings 7. These partitions 62 are preferably as hi gh or a little higher than the feed-wheels 2. I find in use that these partitions entirely prevent the working of the mass of the fertilizer in the hopper toward one end or the other of the said hopper.

It will be evident that the parts of my irnproved fertilizerdistributer are comparatively Simple and that they can be made so as to most eiectively distribute the desired quantity of fertilizer whether that quantity be large or small.

Having thus fully described my invention,A what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fertilizer-distributer, the combination with a suitable hopper, of a series of feedwheels mounted therein, the feed-wheels being hollow upon their under side, tangentially-a'rranged ribs upon the under side of each feed-wheel extending from points near the hub thereof to the outer periphery of the wheel for carrying material which may work beneath the walls outwardly to the dischargepassage beneath the periphery of the wheel, substantially as described.

2. In a fertilizer-distributer, the combination with a suitable hopper of feed-wheels mounted therein having feeding-teeth on their periphery,the lower edges of said teeth and the peripheral edges of the wheels closely engaging the floor-plate of the hopper, a gearwheel beneath the floor of the hopper for actuating each drive-wheel, a hub extending upwardly therefrom, a depending hub upon the under side of each feed-wheel engaging the hub of the driving-disk, and means for holding the two together, the said feed-wheels being thus supported so as to cause a minimum of friction in the operation of the parts,

substantially as described.

3. In a fertilizer-distributer, the combination with a hopper of a series of feed-wheels, means for rotating the same and partitions mounted upon the iioor of the hopper between the said feed-wheels for preventing the material from working toward one end or the other of the hopper, said partitions being of a much less height than the hopper-walls, substantially as described.

4. In a fertilizer-distributer, the combination with a hopper, of a series of feed-wheels mounted therein, pinions for driving the same, a shed covering one edge of the said feed-wheel,a knocker pivoted beneath the said shed, the said knockerhavinga half-bearing IOO IIO

III:

IZO

at its pivoted end, a wall projecting from the floor of the hopper engaging said half-bearing and aprojection on the upper side of the half-bearing engaging the under side of the shed, theysaid knocker being thus movably held in position, substantially as described.

5. In a fertilizer-distributer, the combination with a hopper, of a series of feed-wheels operating upon the bottom thereof, a series of partitions extending about the height ofv saidfeed-wheels upon the floor of the bottom, the said partitions being arranged Ybetween the feed-wheels for preventing material in the hopper from working all to one end thereof, substantially as described.

6. In a fertilizer-distributer, the combination with a hopper, of a series of feed-.wheels moving in the bottom thereof, upwardly-projecting annular flanges surrounding openings WILLIAM FETZER.

Witnesses:

A. C. FREEZE, G. R. BROOKS. 

